One Hundred Spars
by FutureCam
Summary: Well, it always had to lead to SOMETHING, didn't it? A collection of Ike/Mia drabbles/oneshots with no real plotline. Updated ...sporadically.  STOP GIGGLING!
1. Flu season

One Hundred Spars  
Summary: Well, it always had to lead to SOMETHING, didn't it? A collection of Ike/Mia drabbles/oneshots with no real plotline (I think) or set room. Updated three or more times a week, until exams.

Spar One: Flu Season.  
Summary: Why couldn't she just take a break?

Ike sighed, rubbing his temples. Pretty much everyone was sick. He'd just checked everybody except Mia, and due to obvious reasons, Boyd.  
Said obvious reasons were that he'd caught him making out with Mist and was fairly confident the injuries he gave him had left him crippled for at least a month, even with Rhys' help. And he was pretty sure Rhys wasn't going to be too sympathetic to his cause.  
Ike knocked on Mia's door before entering. She wasn't here, so…riiight. Morning. Sunrise. Mia. Training fields.  
How could he forget?  
He sighed – again – as he walked down to the fields. He ended up with a particularly pitiful sight. Mia was trying to hold herself up, battering ineffectually against a training doll and missing half the time. Ike walked up to her.  
"…you're in no fit state for training."  
"Shuddup, boss…gonna win…"  
She fell over. Ike caught her and felt her forehead.  
"…you're burning up…you're going to the infirmary."  
"No…gotta…train…be…better than…rival…or…you…"  
Ike picked her up and started walking towards the infirmary. Mia tried to pound his chest.  
"Put me down! I've gotta train!"  
Ike walked past the various sleeping mercenaries – wait, why was there a light in the kitchen? Oh, it was just Ilyana.  
Did she EVER stop eating?  
Eventually, he found an empty cot and tried to put her down. Mia refused to the point of hanging on to him hugging him around the neck and wrapping her legs around his waist.  
That was when Rhys showed up.  
…impeccable timing, as always. It didn't help that Mia had one of her fever rantings.  
"…love you Ike…"  
She passed out.  
Awkward silence passed between Rhys and Ike. Ike cleared his throat.  
"…this…is not what it looks like."  
"…Fever rantings?"  
"Yeah. Could you, uh…"  
After several minutes, they managed to detach Mia and leave her on the bed. Ike sighed and walked out, taking care to 'accidentally' wake Boyd up on the way past.  
Even that didn't cheer him up much. Well…he was pretty happy already. She couldn't have meant it, could she?  
It was just the fever…right?

A/N: Am I the only one who sees this happening?


	2. WHAT THE HELL, MAN!

Spar Two: WHAT THE HELL, MAN?  
Summary: Boyd interrupts a passionate moment. Hilarity ensues.

A/N: A 102 word drabble, because I could.  
**

The three stared at each other. Mia pulled her shirt back on while Ike fumbled with his belt. Boyd smirked.  
"…you two…have been doing this…how long?"  
"…six months…"  
"…Hey, Ike?"  
Ike looked up and grabbed his shirt…and Ragnell.  
"What, Boyd?"  
"I'm telling Mist!"  
He ran out. Ike cursed and ran after him.  
"GET BACK HERE YOU SON OF A-"  
Mia just sighed.  
"…I don't know whether to help or laugh at this situation…"  
"YO TITANIA! IKE'S BEEN BONING MIA FOR MONTHS!"  
Mia twitched.  
"…help. Definitely help."  
She dived out the room waving the Vague Katti.  
"GET BACK HERE YOU SON OF A-"


	3. Welcome Back

Spar Three: Welcome back  
Summary: Ike returns from a long voyage, and by crazy circumstances Mia is there to greet him.

A/N: Probably OOC, but I think it may be justified in this situation.

Ike sighed as he got off the boat at port Toha. Soren groaned next to him, while Ranulf just ran away screaming something along the lines of: "CIVILISATION! BEAUTIFUL, LAGUZ/BEORC CIVILIZATION! HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU SO!"  
"…that was a stupid idea." Soren grumbled, referring to their voyages.  
"I know…" Ike sighed.  
"Ike, people thought we were GAY. GAY!"  
"I know, Soren, I was there…"  
Soren sighed. "…whatever. I'll be in the library. I'll meet you back here in an hour."  
Ike watched as he turned and left. He sighed.  
"…same old Soren…" A voice said from behind him. Ike smirked.  
"Yeah, he sure is…wait, what?"  
He turned to face a not-so-happy Mia.

'Oh, crap-' was all Ike managed to think before she punched him in the gut.  
"YOU IDIOT, BOSS! YOU JUST LEFT WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE! YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ANYONE! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ANYONE! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!"  
Ike was having difficulty breathing due to the hands wrapped around his throat. Mia continued to rant while doing this.  
"I SPENT YEARS SEARCHING THE ENTIRE FREAKING CONTINENT FOR YOU TO FIND YOU'VE LEFT ON A VOYAGE WITH MISTER EMO MAGE AND THAT IDIOTIC CAT RANULF!"  
Ike tried to pry her hands away. Mia continued.  
"AND DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG I CRIED WHEN I FOUND OUT? I love you and you left without telling me..." The last part was a barely audible whisper.  
Ike turned blue. Mia let go, tears running down her cheeks. Ike sucked in air.  
Sweet, beautiful air.  
Ike stood up.  
"Look, I came back for-"  
The barely audible part plugged in. Ike was always a bit slow that way.  
"-wait, what?"  
Mia blushed and looked at her feet. "…you heard me…"  
Ike just gave her a bear hug. Now Mia couldn't breathe.  
"…I came back for you, you know." He muttered in her ear. "Sorry I'm a year late. Got abducted by a giant…white…hand…thing...you know what, never mind. It's confusing and you won't believe me anyway."  
He pulled away. Mia blushed.  
Ike glanced up. A mob was chasing Soren and Ranulf down a street.  
"GET THEM! THEY SET FIRE TO THE BOOKSTORE!"  
Soren glared at Ranulf as they sprinted.  
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, LAGUZ!"  
"I KNOW! SHUT UP AND KEEP RUNNING, BEORC!"  
Ike sighed.  
"…we should probably help them…"  
Mia nodded. "…yeah…"  
Ike started to move towards them when Mia kissed him on the cheek.  
"…welcome back, boss."  
She darted towards the crowd, waving her sword and yelling. Ike shook his head in disbelief before following her.


	4. Don't get too close

Spar four: Don't get too close…  
Summary: Because Aimee was getting too close for her own good.  
A/N: All Ike/Mia shippers knew in our hearts this had to happen eventually.

**  
Mia snapped one of Rhys' old staffs she was using as a training sword in half, glaring in Ike's direction. Rhys gulped.  
"…er…why are you glaring at Ike?"  
"Not. Him." She hissed. Aimee was practically holding onto his leg.  
…oh, wait, she was. Ike was trying to shake her off. Mia growled.  
"…who does she think she is?"  
Rhys started healing himself* and sighed. "Looks like someone's a little jealous…"  
Mia blushed. "I'm not jealous!"  
She made out distant cries.  
"IKE! MARRY MEE!"  
"IF I SAY YES WILL YOU SHUT UP?"  
"YOU SAID YES! YAY!"  
Rhys gulped. "…Mia…don't overreact… remain calm…"  
She was already gone. Rhys sighed and fished out a heal staff, before throwing it away. Not good enough. Mend? Still not good enough, while…yes…  
He pulled out a Recover staff and headed after Mia. He was going to have to heal Aimee once she was done with her.

Mia dashed towards an Aimee who was now trying to kiss Ike.  
She punched her in the face hard enough to send her flying into a nearby tent. Said nearby tent contained Boyd and, unfortunately for Boyd, Mist.  
Even more unfortunately for Boyd, the cheap fabric ripped and revealed them in an awkward position.  
Ike's temper snapped like a twix bar and he lunged for Boyd, not noticing the catfight going on near him. Mia ended up hammering Aimee's face into the ground multiple times.  
"STAY. AWAY. FROM. MY. IKE!"  
Once Aimee was beyond recognition, she turned praying he didn't hear that part.  
He wasn't, he was too busy beating the crap out of Boyd. Mia sighed.  
'…guess I'm lucky in some things...even if love isn't one of them.'  
Aimee groaned. Mia drove a boot into her gut.

*A/N: WHY CAN'T YOU DO THAT IN THE GAMES? IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE TO BE ABLE TO!


	5. Spin? Bottle? What!

Spar five: Spin? Bottle? What!

Summary: Modern-day AU. Everyone's stuck inside Elincia's house while it rains, leading to Mist forcing them into a game of Spin the Bottle. Chaos ensues.  
**

Mist sighed and stared out the window, drumming her fingers against the wall. Ike looked up from his magazine.  
"…what are you doing?"  
"Its…so…boring…" She whined. "Power cut…rainstorm…and we're stuck at Elincia's place! No offence."  
The girl nodded. "None taken. It does kind of suck, my parents don't have any board games or anything."  
Lucia sighed. "Well, what else can we do? Its not like anything interesting is going to happen."  
Mist's eyes strayed to an empty coke bottle in the room. Mia caught it first.  
"Oh, HELL no."  
"Oh, HELL yes." Mist and Lucia grinned at the same time. Boyd groaned.  
"…please tell me…not…"  
"SPIN THE BOTTLE!"  
**FIVE MINUTES LATER…**  
"How did we get in this situation?" Ike asked Boyd, who was sitting next to him.  
"Your sister, and puppy-dog eyes." Boyd replied with a growl. Mist spun it first, and it pointed at Soren and…RANULF?  
The room died of laughter right then. Soren and Ranulf glared at each other. Elincia and Mist, both on opposite sides of them, made hand signals.  
Three.  
Two.  
One.  
Push, cue accidental kiss. Boyd and Ike were now rolling on the floor in laughter. Soren spat, and Ranulf left to clean his tongue. Soren spun it again, leading to…Elincia and Lucia.  
"Hot." Boyd muttered.  
Slap. That was Mist  
Slap. That was Elincia.  
Slap. That was Mia.  
Punch to the groin, followed by kick to the jaw. That was Lucia, to no-one's surprise.  
He was left unconscious on the floor and by general consent out of the game.  
The two pecked each other on the lips and moved away quickly. Another spin.  
Ike and Mia.  
Awkward silence. Mist glared at the bottle.  
"ARE YOU POSSESSED OR SOMETHING! We've been joking about Soren/Ranulf for weeks, Boyd's been making comments about Elincia and Lucia for MONTHS, and we've been trying to get these two to do something for YEARS!"  
"Uh, Mist?" Lucia muttered, pointing at the two.  
They were making out.  
Much smirking occurred.  
"…so…does this mean they're together?"  
"I guess so. Let's get out of here before they start getting serious."

A/N: Not really Ike/Mia centric, but I was bored with the usual stuff when I wrote this and decided to focus on more characters.  
…on a side note, what the hell is wrong with me? I never thought I'd actually write a Yuri scene…although it was worth it to put Boyd through that punishment.  
As much as I like him as a character, I always did picture him as the whipping boy/fire magnet/comic relief of the game.


	6. Romeo

A/N: BECAUSE I COULD.

**  
Spar Six: Romeo  
Summary: In hindsight, Ike wasn't that good a Romeo

**  
"….you probably shouldn't be doing this, boss." Mia muttered from the chair in the corner. Ike chuckled from the windowsill. He'd just scaled the wall and clambered in to spend an hour or two with her.  
"Oh come one. Give me one reason why."  
"First things first, you're my boss. You shouldn't need to be seducing your own troops." She said sarcastically. Ike laughed. Mia continued. "Secondly…you're really bad at flirting."  
Ike fell out the window into the bush at the bottom. Mia laughed and stuck her head out the window, throwing him his boots.  
"Better luck next time, Romeo!"  
**


	7. Juliet

A/N: Probably the only linked drabbles in this collection…I might use the setting again though.

Spar Seven: Juliet

Summary: Then again, she wasn't much of a Juliet either

Mia glanced at the clock. Nine thirty PM. He normally showed up by now. She sighed. Looks like she'd have to go herself…  
She clambered down the wall and headed over to Ike's own cabin at the corner of the new complex the Greil Mercenaries had built while he was away, and knocked on the door. He opened it.  
"…I was just about to come and visit." He muttered. Mia smirked.

"You took too long."  
"I thought Juliet waited for her Romeo?" He asked, letting her in. Mia laughed.  
"Guess that means I'm not much of a Juliet either, huh?"  
**


	8. No fair!

I'm going to take a week off proper updating to write a proper, decently sized oneshot to mark the tenth spar. In fact, I might do that for it all – nine smaller ones, and one proper oneshot. In other news, if you like Roy/Lilina from Sword of Seals – or just fluffy romantic monologues – have a look at my new fic 100 reasons.

Spar Eight: No fair!

Summary: That was a cheap shot.

Ike kicked Mia's legs out from under her and pinned her to the floor with his boot.  
"I've got you this time!" He smirked. Mia just looked at him and purred, rubbing her leg against his.  
"Ya know boss…it's kind of nice having you being so dominant…"  
Ike jerked off of her in shock. Mia's innocent look changed to a smirk instantly, and she kicked up before clambering to get her sword. Ike groaned.  
"…that was a cheap shot!"  
"…yeah, but it was true." Mia shrugged. Ike paused.  
"Wait, what-"  
He got hit around the head with a training sword. Mia laughed, and pinned his face do the ground with her boot.  
"…NO FAIR!" Ike yelled, his voice muffled by the grass. Mia laughed harder.


	9. Sorry

A/N: If you're reading this you-know-who-you-are, I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier.

Spar Nine: I'm sorry.  
Summary: Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.

Ike sat down outside the door.  
"I'm sorry."  
"I don't care." Mia muttered from the other side. She sounded like she'd been crying. Ike groaned.  
"I didn't mean it like that, Mia." He muttered. Mia just scowled.  
"Suure you don't. Go away, IKE."  
That hurt. He sighed.  
"Why are you so angry?"  
"You expelled me from the company! You want me to leave! I thought you loved me!"  
Ike groaned.  
"…I do. I'm not allowed to do this when you're in my employ."  
Mia's head jerked up.  
"Do what-?"  
A ring slid under the door and bumped into her hand. She stared at it for a few seconds in shock. Silence reigned.  
"…open the door now, please?"  
"S-sure…Ike."


	10. White Robes

A/N: Well, here it is. While the rest were 100-400 words, every tenth chapter is going to be 1000+, and I have something of epic proportions planned for the 100th, if I ever make it there. I know this has been done before, but I'm putting my own – *Gets yelled at offscreen* - okay, my own take on an idea suggested to me by PitFTW. *Muttering* Note to self: Do not discredit my GF or my GF's friends.

**  
Spar Ten: White Robes

Summary: Ike was fed up with Mia's fascination with Rhys, so took things into his own hands.

Morning, crack of dawn, combat training for two people in particular – Ike and Mia. Which was why Ike was confused as to where the hell Mia was.  
"Mia? Hello? Where are you?" He asked, wandering the hall. Boyd stuck his head out a door.  
"Shut up, people are trying to sleep in here!" He muttered. Ike's eyes fell on Mist's staff in his room.  
His eyes narrowed. Boyd sensed the killing intent, and wisely shut the door. Ike considered smashing the door down and killing him, but decided that some things took priority even over his little sister's potential ravishing.

"….you'll get what's coming to you, Boyd…" He snarled, before knocking on another door. "Rhys? You in there?"  
No reply. Ike sighed, and ran a mental checklist. No Rhys? No Mia? Crack of dawn? …god dammit, she was obsessing over this so-called white robed rival of hers again. Ike slammed his head against the wall. Mia was going to be the death of him. Not that he was complaining.  
The fact was, how to get her attention…he mused as he walked down to the training fields and witnessed Rhys getting the crap beaten out of him by Mia.  
All things considered, it really was quite amusing actually. Ike snorted as Rhys tripped on his robes and fell face-first into the mud. Mia freaked out and helped him up, and Ike felt a pang of jealousy when it turned out Rhys had to be carried up to the apothecary by her due to him passing out. He sighed and went down to help. Mia looked up at him as he approached.  
"Morning, boss! Sorry about missing our spar, I was trying to train my rival here!" She said with a grin. Ike resisted the urge to facepalm and/or get lost in her smile. He sighed.  
"Not a problem…I'll take him up."  
Ike threw Rhys over his shoulder in an exceedingly undignified manner. Mia raised an eyebrow.  
"…er…thanks, boss?"  
They walked back up towards their new complex. A few moments later, Ike broke the silence.  
"What _is _the big deal about this white-robed rival anyway?"  
Mia went red. "Er…its kinda private, boss."  
Ike raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really. Well, then, I suppose I should leave it." He said calmly. Mia twitched.  
"Fine, I'll tell you! My white-robed rival is meant to be my soul mate, and the person I'm going to love my whole life-why did you trip?"  
Ike stumbled back up and picked Rhys up again, cheeks flaming. "Er, no reason." He muttered, walking again. "…so, why are you so convinced its Rhys?"  
Mia pouted. "He's the only white-robed fighter I've seen in years! It has to be him!"  
"Uh, Mia, he's a mage."  
Mia waved a hand. "Not a problem! I can fix that easily!"  
Ike facepalmed "I thought you said he was the only…what…never mind." He gave up. Mia's mind worked in mysterious ways.  
And then the part of his mind Ike was sure had been created by spending too much time around Soren started working. A smile spread across his face as a plan formed in his head.  
Mia noticed. "Er, boss, why are you smiling?"  
"Nothing, Mia, nothing." He muttered, shaking his head to clear his mind. "I'll just, ah…I've got some paperwork to do."  
He dashed off, leaving the slightly confused Mia behind. The grin grew larger.  
Now, then…where did Rhys keep his spare robes?

"This is stupid." Soren said flatly. Ike glared at him.  
"I thought it was a good idea." He muttered. Soren slammed his book shut.  
"Do you remember that myrmidon leader in white clothes two years back?" He asked calmly. Ike nodded. That was one of the tougher missions…still a cinch for the mercenaries though.  
"Yeah, why?"  
"Do you remember how BEZERK Mia went at seeing her 'white-robed rival'?" Soren continued, twitching slightly. Ike paled and looked at the robes hanging off him.

'oh, crap.' He thought. Soren nodded.  
"Exactly."  
Ike didn't bother to ask how he knew what he was thinking. Soren knew everything, somehow…

"I'll go get changed." He left the room.  
Soren resumed reading. Then he threw the novel into the fire.  
"…VAMPIRES! DON'T! SPARKLE!" He yelled at it, boosting the fireplace's flames with his wind magic. Mia popped her head in.  
"Are you okay, Soren?"  
"Just a bad book…what is it, Mia?"  
"Have you seen Ike?"  
"Yeah, he should be heading for his cabin…" Soren said before he realized something 'Oh crap, he's still in the robes.'  
Mia grinned. "Thanks!"  
Mia dashed away. Soren dug out a heal staff. He was going to need it once Mia was through.

Ike was halfway to his cabin when the maelstrom hit.  
"WHITE ROBED RIVAL!"  
"Oh, son of a-"  
Ragnell was halfway out of its sheath when Mia rammed into him. Ike felt something snap.  
Yeah, that felt like a spine. Then the training sword smashed into his arms…face…legs…groin…his eyes started to water.  
Then Mia stopped. "BOSS? OMIGOD! SORRY!"  
The bloodied mess that was Ike groaned in reply. Mia's hands flew to her mouth.  
"Sorrysorrysorry please don't fire me!"  
Soren walked over.  
"…recover." He muttered, before walking away. Ike groaned and got up on his elbows.  
"…why would I fire you?"  
"I just beat you half to death?" Mia pointed out. '…maybe I did some brain damage too…'  
Ike waved his hand. "It's fine. This was a stupid idea to begin with."  
Mia tilted her head as she helped him up. "What was a stupid idea?"  
Ike delivered a glare that could have made Ashnard run away screaming like a little girl. Mia gulped.  
"…erm…I'll just get back to training, yeah?"  
"Good idea." Ike said stiffly, walking into his cabin. Then he applied head to wall. "STUPID PLAN! STUPID PLAN! STUPID PLAN!"  
"…what was a stupid plan?" Mia asked casually. Ike had left the window open, so she was leaning on the windowsill.

"Nothing." Ike muttered, sitting down on a random chair. "…the whole reason I was wearing those robes."  
"Oh? Care to explain?" Mia asked curiously, clambering inside and sitting next to him. Ike flushed and cleared his throat.

"Well…" Ike began slowly. Then the part of his brain created by spending a year on a boat with Ranulf kicked in. "…I love you"  
Ike hated that part of his brain – the only thing it ever did was get him into trouble. Mia fell off her chair.  
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?"  
Ike facepalmed. Mia continued pointing at him, an expression of shock on her face. Ike sighed and continued. After all, if you mentioned those words might as well explain the entire plan.  
"With the amount of time you spent obsessing around Rhys and other white-robed people, I figured that you'd spend more attention on me if I started wearing them – at least once."  
Mia's face was still frozen in shock. Ike sighed and started to walk out.

"Sorry for putting you in this situation. Won't happen again, and if you want to retire I won't hold you back."  
He shut the door behind him and wondered where he could find a place to be alone for a while.

**  
A/N: Bit of a downer ending there, but meh. The whole point was the 'Ike gets beat up' resolution. :D We shall return to your original schedule of 3 100-500 word drabbles a week starting Monday with Engage Facepalm.

No, really, that's the title.


	11. Engage Facepalm

Spar Eleven: Engage Facepalm  
Summary: Some things Mia did were so random but cute Ike didn't have any other alternative.

Ike didn't dare look down. If he looked down, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from either laughing or applying head to desk.

Whose idea was it to try and get Mia to cook?  
Oh, wait, yeah…add this mess to the 'reasons I should have just killed Shinon when I found out he joined with Daein' list.

"Mia…what are you doing?" He asked, keeping his eyes glued to the roof. The purple-haired – now white-haired – myrmidon shrugged.  
"I kinda caused the flour to pour over me when I dropped it from the top shelf" She said, as though it was perfectly normal. "And then the bowl with the sugar and water in it tipped over me. At least I hadn't started with the eggs yet…although one's missing. I think it might be on the roof – I vaguely remember accidentally launching one into mid-air with a spoon."

That last part was true. He could make out one splattered over the roof.

Ike looked down at last. The sight of his beloved fiancée covered in flour, water, and sugar and Yune-alone-knows-what-else could only draw one response.

Ike facepalmed

"We should just leave it to Oscar and Mist in the future…" Ike groaned.  
**

A/N: Short, cute, no point, and set after 'I'm sorry'. Inspired by real events! Mental note: Do not let Natasha in kitchen EVER AGAIN.


	12. Idle Conversation

Spar Twelve: Idle conversation

Summary: Remind Ike to never mention Mia around Mist again.

Ike slumped down on his bed with a groan. The new girl was driving him around the twist. What was her name? Mia? Maya?  
His door burst open, and a yellow-and-brown blob hugtackled him. Ike just grunted. Mist had done this so often he didn't even get winded anymore.

"Hey Ike!"  
"…hi, Mist." Ike said, just a tad wearily. "What's up?"  
"Nothing. Just thinking about the new girl."  
Ike shrugged and got up to get a glass of water. "And?"  
"I think Dad hired her to help you talk to girls."  
Ike sacrificed aforementioned glass of water to the gods of the spit-take. "WHAT?"  
"Well…you are kind of useless at it." Mist shrugged. "And she's cute, she can take care of herself, she's strong-headed…"  
Ike raised an eyebrow. "That's meant to be a compliment?"  
"…like you." Mist finished. Ike twitched. Now he knew it was meant to be an insult. Mist started running, and Ike rolled his eyes and ran after her, coming to a stop when he saw Greil heading down a forest path…where could he be going this late at night?


	13. Helpless

Spar Three: Helpless

Summary: The one thing that always hurt Mia the most was being unable to help him.

**  
Mia couldn't remember hurting this much. Well, she could – when the exact same thing happened three years ago. Except this time was worse – she could see it this time. Ike was separated from the rest, fighting the Black Knight…and there was nothing she could do to help. Everyone else watched, but she couldn't.  
She couldn't stand not being able to help him. Not like this.

On the other side, Zelgius managed to block again, this time counterstriking. Ike fell back, clutching the wound in his chest.  
Mia clenched her hand.

"…Ike…"  
Even though it wasn't possible through the barrier, Ike seemed to know what she was thinking. He nodded, turned back and pointed his sword straight at Zelgius.

Mia knew what was coming before anyone else did.

It's kind of hard to forget the one move that's beaten you too many times to count.

"AETHER!"

Ashera was defeated. Ike slumped onto the floor next to her, utterly drained. He glanced at her.

"Thanks for the help against Zelgius."  
Mia blinked. "I didn't help. I…couldn't help." She managed to choke out. Ike shrugged.

"Knowing you're there…makes me stronger, somehow. I wasn't going to let anything stop me while you were around. That's what I meant."  
Mia closed her eyes, not wanting him to see her cry. She wasn't helpless after all.

**  
A/N: Reference to the support bonuses because I could.


	14. Confused

Spar Fourteen: Confused

Summary: Mia wasn't quite sure just how this whole thing was meant to work.

**  
Mia glanced over at Ike…or, where he SHOULD be. There was paperwork in the way.

"Ike?"  
"Yes?" The muffled reply came back.

"…if you're a mercenary, why do you do this much paperwork?"  
"…because it's forms. Paychecks, and so on." Ike's muffled reply came back. Mia poked her head over it.

"…but that makes no sense. You hit stuff, you get paid to hit stuff – quite hard, to be honest – and then you give US some of the money you got paid to hit stuff. Why do you need to do all this?"

Ike growled. "…because otherwise, little miss confused, I wouldn't get money for hitting stuff. World isn't that simple."  
Mia stood there for a few seconds.

"…that's weird. Ah, well. You're cute while you're working, so keep at it."  
She ran out the door. Ike slammed his head into the desk.


	15. Is he a madman?

Spar Fifteen: Madman

Summary: Mia's sitting out a job. A civilian asks about Ike.

**  
"...You know, miss, your commander's pretty…enthusiastic." The young boy said. Mia smiled at him.

"Course he is! If you're not enjoying your job, there's something wrong." She said, confused.  
"…do you trust him? I wouldn't trust someone who likes fighting." The boy continued, dubiously.

Mia looked hurt. "I like fighting."  
"…sorry." The kid mumbled. "…so you trust him?"  
"I absolutely trust him."  
"…so he's not a madman, then?" The kid asked. Mia paused for consideration for a while.

"…I absolutely trust him." She repeated firmly. The kid just laughed and went back inside, before Mia wandered over to greet Ike and the rest back.


	16. Sparring

A/N: …despite the title of the fic, this is the first actual proper fight scene I've written so far. Weird, huh?

Spar Sixteen: Combat  
Summary: Note to self: Grapples are a BAD. IDEA.  
**

Ike's trainer locked hilts against Mia's for what must have been the tenth time in a row, and he stepped away rapidly from the inevitable leg sweep that he knew she always followed with. Even after that, though, he could predict every single one of Mia's moves that she'd use against him now. Slash from upper left to bottom right, horizontal slice to halfway across body after he dodges, vertical slice from there that he'd have to block, spin, mix in another kick and finally use that thrust that got them into this situation in the first place.

It was kind of boring, knowing how predictable she'd be. Of course, maybe if he…  
The first new thing he tried was a simple block instead of back step against the diagonal slash, and then he stepped inside her guard and managed to get an arm around her waist. For some reason, she blushed insanely, but Ike's mind was focused purely on victory, and he pivoted around his right foot to throw her to the ground.

Unfortunately, she managed to catch her descent with her hand and dance away, warily lifting her sword for the next bout. This time, Ike took the offensive, dashing forwards with a horizontal cut that Mia ducked under and she span, sending a vertical strike along where his back _should_ have been, but instead Ike had detached his cloak and let her sword get wrapped up in it. He stepped in to attempt another throw while her guard was down, but she ducked.  
Not far enough, though. Ike's hand came in contact with her…let's say 'chest' area. They both blushed now.

She looked him dead in the eye. "You know, all you had to do was ASK, boss."  
Ike's jaw dropped, and he backed away, stuttering apologies. Then Mia's trainer slammed into his gut.

"I win the bout!"  
Ike groaned from the ground and just stared up at her leaping in joy. _Damn, I love her…_


	17. Being There

Spar Seventeen: Being there

Summary: AU. Mia's been in a coma for the last two years. Ike has to make a very difficult decision.

**  
Ike took a deep, shuddering breath outside the door, glancing back at the rest of his friends behind him, who nodded glumly.

"It's been too long Ike. She isn't going to wake up." Soren muttered from the back of the group. The rest nodded in agreement.

"I know. It's just…can I do this alone?"  
His friends stood back and let him enter. Ike couldn't really see what was in the room through his tears, but she was just as beautiful as he remembered. Her violet hair was spread like a halo across the pillow, and her heart-shaped face was as perfectly molded as before. But without her emerald orbs, always sparkling with life and energy, staring out at him, he knew this was the right choice.

"I'm sorry Mia. But…I'm not going to keep you here forever. You've always been there for me, and…I'm trying to do the same for you now. Forgive me, but I know you wouldn't want to live like this." His voice started to crack. "I love you, Mia. Goodbye."  
He reached for the plug, when a wrist shot out and grabbed his.

"Touch that thing, and I'll ram your arm up your ass so far you'll be able to punch yourself in the face!" Mia growled from the bed, emerald orbs sparkling with life. Ike's jaw dropped. "Now shut up and kiss me already, because I love you too."  
Ike was only too happy to comply.

**  
A/N: I'm attempting to try and improve on something in my writing with each chapter. For the last one, it was combat descriptions, and for this one, it's more emotion. I'd appreciate it if you could give me advice on where to improve, or whether each Spar manages to fulfill it properly.


	18. Vibrant

Spar Eighteen: Vibrancy

Summary: No matter where he went with her, everything dulled in comparison

Theme for improvement: Description

_Crimea_

Before her, it was tense. Anything could happen. The earth itself seemed glummer than usual, as though preparing for the fading of his sight upon death.  
But then…she came. Violet hair streaking through the air, emerald eyes sparkling with glee even as she fought, her face set in a determined yet cocky smirk. The color was wrenched out of everything…but for some reason, everything seemed brighter.

**  
_The Ocean_

The others enjoyed it – Mist continually ranted about how 'beautiful the water was', and once or twice he agreed. But then she would come, and the ocean would turn into a big puddle compared to the depths of her eyes, the roar of the waves insignificant to her laughter, the scent of the sea air spoiled compared to her.

**  
_Begnion_

It was impressive – white citadels of towering beauty, statues of perfect women, the sheer scope of it all…and yet given the choice, he'd rather stare at her. The shape of her face made the architecture seem faded and worn, the contours of her physique made the 'perfect' statues seem bland and useless next to her, the pure whiteness of the churches a colorless grey next to the slight tan of her skin.

_Daein_

The grim darkness, the depression, the shadows…the horror of it all was nothing compared to her sadness. The rivers flowing through the floodgates were nothing next to her tears at these acts, the grim pallor of the civilians bringing out the grief in her own eyes.

**  
_Life_

Life itself was always so vibrant while she was in it.


	19. Astra

Spar Nineteen: Astra

Summary: Her sword broke through his shield of indifference, and spilled it all out for her to see.  
Area for improvement: Imagery

It was a blade or a tongue - Ike couldn't tell the difference anymore. It flickered like quicksilver, moving in and out, piercing his defenses, both literally and figuratively. Slashing open wounds, spilling out his life for only her to see. Through it all, she kept on striking, moving in deeper and deeper.

His defense had always been strong, never failing him. He always evaded questions and blades together, and left himself a private man.

Her sword pierced that shield of indifference and spilled out who he was for only her to see. She saw who he was, what kind of a broken shell he was inside, a shell with only one reason to remain – _protect_.

Her sword went back and sealed the wounds, adding something else too. Something intangible…something he could still not recognize.

She had cut right through him, seen him, and decided she liked what she saw.


	20. Arrogance

Spar Twenty: Arrogance

Summary:

Theme for improvement: Injury, Angst, etc.

A/N: I apologize for the delay. It involves exams, a glider's license to be obtained, and a GF I need to spend more time with.

It was a simple job gone to hell – a quick recovery of a mansion from bandits. How could it go wrong this badly, this quickly?  
It wasn't that they were outclassed. The Greil Mercenaries were pretty much gods striding across the surface of the world by this point. They could even handle outnumbered.

But the tower they were in collapsing down on them? That's a bit much. Mia stuck her hand against the impromptu wall formed by the collapse.

"Ike? Boyd? Shinon? Can you hear me?"  
"Yeah, we're fine." Shinon yelled back. "Boyd's leg's broken. I'll take care of him."  
"What about Ike?"  
"He's trying to find a way back around to you, and then punch on through to regroup with Titania and the rest in the courtyard. Just hold out for a while, okay?"  
"Okay."  
Mia stood up, grimacing as her twisted ankle didn't support her weight. '_Sure hope nothing tries to get at me in here.'_

She glanced back up what was left of the steps, sighing when she saw the flares of multiple torches on the walls.

'_I really should have known…'_

"SHINON! GONNA NEED A LITTLE HELP HERE!"  
"Alright, give me a minute. I'm gonna try and get through this pile. Hold them off!"  
Mia gritted her teeth and leaned against the side of the staircase, pulling out her slim sword. '_Not good. Stairs go down the wrong way. Gonna have a hell of a time defending properly. They've got the advantage here.'_

The first rounded the corner – an axe-wielder of some kind. Mia's blade flickered out and disarmed him before impaling his throat, pushing backwards so the corpse didn't fall on her. She forced herself forward, parrying the two swordsmen in front of her as she tried to reach the entrance.

In hindsight, that was probably the mistake. At the landing, the two swordsmen dived aside as a pair of archers loosed steel arrows. One thudded into her left arm, while the other jutted out of her chest. The impact itself was enough to send her spiraling down the stairs. Eventually she came to a grinding halt about halfway down. Groaning, she blinked and stared at the approaching swordsmen. All that followed was a flash of red, and suddenly they collapsed. Shinon let out a low whistle.

"Damn, Mia, you let them get to you that bad? Ike, give me a hand here."  
Soon, she was dragged through a small hole and into the darkness on the other side. Boyd was still unconscious. Shinon returned to guard duty, sniping anyone that tried to rush them. Ike kneeled by her side. She glanced around, seeing Ike's Ettard snapped underneath a boulder. Looks like their only weapon was Shinon's bow – that's not good. She forced herself back into reality when Ike started to speak.

"Should have guessed it would be trapped. I got careless"  
Mia gave him a thin smile. "Suppose we've all gotten overconfident, huh?"

Shinon snorted, sending an arrow into a soldier's eye. "Not without reason. Name one loss we've had since the Mad King's War."  
Ike glared at him. "Shut up and snipe."  
"Doing it, jeez…"  
He turned back to Mia, whose red shirt was getting darker by the minute. From the look of things, the chest wound was somewhere between the right lung and the heart.

"Luck of the devil, Mia." Ike muttered with a smile. Mia raised an eyebrow.

"How…exactly?"  
"Don't move, you might shift it and, well, kill yourself." Shinon explained. "It hit a lucky place."  
Mia groaned and let her head fall back. "Hurts like hell."  
"Getting shot tends to do that."  
"Shinon?" Ike said, deathly calm.  
"Yes, sir?"  
"Shut up."  
"Shutting up, sir."  
Ike turned away from the red-haired sniper and gave Mia a weak smile. "It'll be alright. As soon as we manage to regroup with the rest, pretty much anyone could get you back on your feet."

Mia groaned. "Great…if they've not been caught out like this too."  
Ike opened his mouth to reply, and Mia glared at him. "Don't start, Ike. If they could set this up, who knows what they could have done to the courtyard. The great Greil Mercenaries…brought down by bandits with some inkling of foresight." She sighed. "Great…so many things I wanted to say, and we're probably all going to die when Shinon runs out of arrows."

A slight crash on the other side of the wall dispelled that motion. Shinon ducked as a massive wave of wind and ice crashed through the stairs.

"DAMNIT, SOREN, WATCH YOUR AIM!"  
"I was." Soren said coldly, stalking past him and pulling out a healing staff before kneeling over Mia. "I missed."  
Shinon grumbled and walked out of the hole, talking to the other mercenaries as he went. Soren nodded at his work and stood up.  
"You'll be fine. The mission is complete, Ike. We should move back and collect our payment." With that, Soren marched away. Mia scowled as she clambered up. Ike glanced at her as he moved up behind her, picking up the cleanly broken Ettard on his way past.

"So, what did you mean by things you've wanted to say, Mia?" Ike asked casually as he stalked ahead. Mia ducked her head and became very interested in a piece of rubble.

"Nothing important."  
Ike shrugged and kept walking. Shinon stared in amazement.

"…is she _Blushing?"_


	21. Expecting

Spar Twenty-One: In which I cannot find any sufficient late update excuse, OR Expecting.

Summary: In which Mia successfully breaks Ike.

Theme for improvement: …there isn't really one this time.

Four hours ago, Ike had killed a goddess.  
Now, the three armies were having what could barely be described as a victory feast on top of the tower of guidance. Soren had made an off-hand comment about desecration, but that only served to get him thrown off the tower by Skrimir. Thankfully, a low-flying Janaff had caught him, but now the laguz was rocking back and forth in the corner.

"…can't sleep…Beorc will fall on me…can't sleep…Beorc will fall on me…"  
Ike smirked. That image would stay with him forever. Micaihah sent him yet another death glare, and he decided to respond this time. Sothe applied palm to face and became increasingly absorbed in his food.

He could have sworn he heard him muttering something about 'not getting involved' and 'please don't get into a fight, I'm sure the populace want the tower in one piece…'

That comment, if he heard it right, was met by another death glare, directed at Sothe this time, and he shrunk into a corner and mumbled something that vaguely sounded like 'yes, dear.'

Ike sighed and reclined slightly. Despite the food – thank god for Oscar and assorted others – this 'victory feast' had been kind of boring, so far. Just speech after speech after speech…Bastian had tried to make him say one, but reconsidered after seeing his responding glare, that was now being classified as his 'Screw-off-I-killed-a-goddess-you-would-be-easier' glare.

He sighed as yet another person got up to say their speech.

"…what's Mia going to say?" Boyd muttered from next to him. Ike's attention became riveted fully on Mia's seat. He hadn't caught the start of the announcement, but he did catch the last bit.

"Well, I, um, I'm glad you all fought with us earlier." Mia started. Mist gave her what could only be described as a 'get-on-with-it' glare, that was punctuated by a flying cat laguz from Skirmir's general direction. "Okay, I'll get it over with, sheesh-"  
She ducked another and put her hand on her sword. "DO YOU WANT ME TO COME OVER THERE?"  
Skrimir stopped throwing his underlings and stopped complaining. Now, everyone was quiet. Mia was freaking scary when she got angry.

"Right, as I was saying, I'll get this over with quickly. Anyway, due to the fact we aren't exactly subtle, most of you have figured out that Ike and I are something of an item now."  
The ones that didn't know that turned simultaneously, while the rest just snickered. Ike attempted to dissolve into his seat. It wasn't working. He reached for Ragnell.

That got rid of their attention.

"Anyway, again, not subtle about it, but we had a few…" Mia searched her vocabulary for multiple seconds, tapping her chin. Skrimir ran out of patience.

"NIGHTLY ENCOUNTERS?" He roared up at her, before he shrunk away, the rather accurately thrown Alondite vibrating in his chair, just above his shoulder.

"CUT ME OFF AGAIN! SEE WHAT HAPPENS!" Mia yelled, obviously pissed. Skrimir nodded meekly and attempted to hide under the table. Ranulf pulled him back out again.

"Anyway, well, long story short…" Mia took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."  
There was a long, awkward silence. The room as one turned to Ike, who was completely frozen. Boyd reached out and tapped his forehead, causing the hero to fall off his bench. Boyd sighed.

"Well, you broke the father." He said camly. Mia leant over him.

"Ike?"  
Ike woke up again a few seconds later, blinking foolishly.  
"…I'm gonna be a father?" He asked slowly. Mia nodded nervously.

The hall almost universally erupted into cheers, with the exceptions of fangirls, the unconscious laguz Skrimir had used as projectiles, and the far too drunk to do anything.


	22. I never run away

Spar Twenty-Two: I never run away  
Summary: Yet another random conversation.

Theme for improvement: Dialogue

**  
"You are either really brave, or really stupid." Mia finally said about ten minutes after entering the tent. The shape that she assumed was Ike chuckled under the bandages.  
"Yeah, well…the kid was going to get run over! I had to help!"  
"…so you got crushed by the cart instead." Mia sighed. "Rhys is practically frothing at the teeth with the amount of times you get injured. I mean, can you do ANYTHING that doesn't injure you severely?"  
"Not really." Ike sighed, shifting slightly. "It's not in my instincts to stand by and do nothing."  
"Yeah, we noticed. So did everyone else." Mia deadpanned. "So did the driver of the cart when you buried Ragnell next to his head."  
"Alright, that may have been going a BIT overboard." Ike admitted. "But still-"  
"And what about the time that Mist came at you with a frying pan?" Mia interjected. "Do you have something about running away?"  
"Well, yeah. Running never solves anything." Ike said, puzzled. "You just…keep pushing yourself back that way."  
Mia froze slightly. "…you think so?"  
"Well, yeah. It doesn't matter what you're running from, but if you keep doing it, it'll just get worse. Better to get it over with."  
Mia tilted her head. "…stop running huh? Yeah…I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, boss."  
She turned to leave, chewing on her lip. Ike blinked in confusion.  
"…huh. Wonder what that was about?"


	23. Blood Tasted Bitter

Spar Twenty-Three: Blood tasted bitter

Summary: Mia lies dying on a forgotten battlefield, Ike far away. She begins to dream…

Theme for improvement: Dialogue, maybe angst?

**  
"This can't be happening." Mia said calmly, staring up at Ike. Ike shook his head, kneeling down next to her.  
"Don't worry about that. Focus on staying alive."  
"Of course I'd hallucinate about you, boss." Mia coughed violently, blood splattering her cheek. "No-one else made as big a change."  
Ike gazed sorrowfully at the javelin embedded in her gut. "I guess it only takes one mistake, huh?"  
"Yeah…yeah, only takes one." Mia smiled weakly. "I'm dying, aren't I?"  
"Yes." Ike admitted. "You are."  
"Great." Mia said sarcastically. "I spend my last few minutes with an imaginary Ike."  
Ike snorted. "Don't be like that. Focus, Mia."  
Mia started to cry. "I'm trying, but I can't. I'm gonna die, Ike. And you can't even be here to see it."  
Blood tasted bitter in her mouth, and Mia coughed harder. The fake Ike leaned over her, inches away.

"How do you know I'm not here?" Ike asked carefully. Mia smiled weakly again.

"You wanna know? Kiss me."  
The fake Ike complied without hesitation. Mia's smile grew bitter.

"You see? That's why. If you were real…that…that could never happen."

Several thousand miles away, wine tasted bitter in Ike's mouth. He put the glass down carefully and stared at it.

"…some things…can never happen." He said quietly. "Can they, Mia?"


	24. You're pretty good!

Spar Twenty-Four: Pretty Good

Summary: Another quick spar between warriors...but not who you think.

Theme for improvement: …How well can I write at 12:25 in the morning? I suppose, theoretically, combat. And yes, I have been playing too much Metal Gear Solid recently.

Ocelot: You're pretty good! *Fingerflick*  
STOP DOING THAT!

Ike's sword smashed down onto the thinner blade his opponent wielded, knocking it aside. His foe bounced back, before dashing in faster than Ike had ever seen before. The move, however, was pathetic – Ike had seen it before. He stepped outside of it and clotheslined him. Snarling, his opponent rolled back up and slashed downwards at Ike's sword, only to have it batted aside. Another swift pair of punches to the face, and Ike felt cartilage break apart as his opponent finally dropped to the ground, the slim blade he'd batted aside moments ago falling to the side of the sparring arena.

Marth wiped the blood from his face and stood up, waving the clerics away and nodding appreciatively. "You're…pretty good." He said grudgingly. "How did you see that coming?"  
Ike sheathed Ragnell and walked to the edge of the arena, wiping his face. "Someone I know uses that move far too often against me. Hasn't worked since the first time she tried." He smirked and glanced at the rest of the tourney's contenders. "I should be going back soon enough. She's going to kill me for taking this long to get back."

"Heh. Women, am I right?" Marth shook his head. "Can't live with them or without them."  
"Amen." Ike chuckled. The two of them stood to one side for a short while until Marth grinned and piped up.

"I'm still faster than you, though."  
"Oh, shut up you snotty little prince."


	25. Cold Memories

Spar Twenty-Four: Cold Memories

Summary: Snow, snow and…more snow.

Theme for improvement: …How well can I write at 1:00 in the morning? No, I didn't stop.

**  
Ike's first waking sensation was that of someone kicking him in the face.

"Wake up, boss. Spar time!"  
Ike groaned as he got up, only to look outside the window to see a roaring blizzard. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me, Mia. That's not happening."

"Why not?" She asked, puzzled. "You did okay in the mountains that one time."  
Ike lifted three fingers.

"One: We were indoors for most of that. Two: I was in cold weather gear that I gave back to the army after I left command. Three: It may have been cold, but it wasn't a blizzard."  
"We need to train in case we-"  
"No bandit in their right minds would even THINK about trying to raid villages during weather like this."  
There was a brief pause.  
"…bandits have right minds?"  
Ike sighed and hoisted himself out of bed. "Alright, fine. I'll be out in a second."  
"YES!"  
She bounded outside. Ike groaned and struggled into his cloak before grabbing Ettard from the closet, and stormed outside, wading through a metric ton of snow.  
Eventually, he reached the vague orange and purple blob he could make out from the blizzard.

"You're wearing THAT? Aren't you…well…cold?"  
"A bit." Mia said cheerfully. "I'll be fine."  
Ike's mouth opened and closed a few more times until he finally gave up and pulled Ettard into a ready position. "Fine. Let's go." 


	26. Strange Family

Spar Twenty-Six: Strange Family

Summary: It's true wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas! (Apologies to Muppet Christmas Carol)

Theme for improvement: This is pretty much just pure fluff.

A/N: KA-TRIPLE-UPDATE! Sorry about that everyone, life's been really busy recently. My GF broke her collarbone, I had to apply to CEGEPs (Stupid Quebec educational system…) and I've spent most of my free time alternating between playing the MGS collection and working on a FE7 Mod with the people from FanficUnderground. Anyway, here's the obligatory Christmas story. MERRY CHRISTMAS/INSERT HOLIDAY HERE!  
For the record, this is the same continuity as Romeo and Juliet.

"IT'S CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!"  
Ike rolled over to the side just in time to avoid Mist's divebomb of the bed. Blearily, he looked out the window and saw…no sun.

"Mist, it's not even five o'clock yet. Let us sleep." Ike moaned, rolling back. Mist sighed.  
"Fine. Wait…us? And if I didn't land on you, who did I land on?"  
A low groan of pain came from underneath Mist's knees, causing her to look down.

"OH! Sorry, Mia!"  
"'sokay…" She groaned. "…gerrof…"  
Mist scrambled off and out in record time. Mia sighed and punched Ike in the arm.

"You could have told me she does that every year."  
"Sorry. Should have." Ike muttered. "Sleep now."  
"Kay."

Three hours later, the sun started to come up. Mia and Ike reflexively rolled to the other side of the bed as Mist jumped at the bed again. The two of them sighed as Mist babbled at them for what felt like forever, until Ike nodded his head and she left. Walking into the main hall, they all saw the Greil mercenaries generally relaxing once again.

…the mystery of how and why Bastian was dangling upside down from the ceiling could be solved later, Ike thought to himself as he grabbed an apple from the table and leaned against the wall, watching Mist and Rolf remain perpetual children as they harassed the rest of the group. Mia took one look at the pile of presents and grinned. Ike ran a hand down his face, already knowing what was about to happen.

"CANNONBALL!"  
He hated being right. One extended period of trying to get all the presents to the right people – and apologizing to Oscar for the crushed cake caused by an errant hardback novel – and Ike sat back with a smile on his face. Mia plopped down next to him.

"Ah, that was fun."  
"I can imagine." Ike said, his voice laden with irony. Mia smirked.  
"Oh, you're no fun. It's good to act a little younger than you are every now and then!"  
"I'm sure" Ike said with a sigh. "That I can live without it"  
The two watched the chaos for a few more moments.

"We are one hell of a strange family." Mia commented after Boyd pushed Rolf's head under a pile of water, only to be knocked over by a charging Mist, and then they hit Soren who was just trying to read a book, causing an accidental burst of magic that set Titania's dressing gown on fire…

"You can say that again." Ike said firmly. "Wouldn't give it up for anything though."  
"I can see that." Mia shrugged. "Hey, Ike?"  
"Yeah?"

"…merry Christmas"  
"Merry Christmas, Mia"


	27. Correspondance

Spar 27: Correspondance: My Interpretation

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates.

…

…

…

…what, you wanted an excuse? I'm lazy.

_Dear Mia, _

_You talked about life, death and everything like it's nothing, but you talked about yourself and me like it was everything. Was there even anything there? Its just unprofessional, for a start ,and I'm not even on Tellius anymore. I think you should just move on before you get yourself hurt._

_Ike_

_Boss,_

_You DID get my letters! HA! Score one!_

_And I'm not GOING to get hurt, and I don't NEED to be your subordinate, boss – not like you can be from wherever you are, anyway. Try not to get yourself killed so you don't have to reply._

_Mia_

_Dear Mia, _

_You need an alibi or something if you're going to keep saying these things, or Mist is going to get curious enough to read them. I'm not trying to get myself killed – that sea serpent was asking for it!_

_Besides, if you won't be my subordinate, STOP CALLING ME BOSS!_

_Ike_

_Boss, _

_I don't need an alibi to say the things we left unsaid that everybody else already knew. Neither of us were exactly subtle about it, apparently. So, my interpretation is that if GATRIE could figure it out, you should just let me find you and let it go from there…Ike._

_Mia_

_Dear Mia,_

_I'm on the continent of Jugdral, in a country called Verdane, in a south-eastern coastal village. Ask for me, and someone will point you in the right way. Remember Soren and Ranulf are here too, try not to kill them. I've succeded so far, somehow. Set sail from Toha and go south for a week, and you should see an island-continent called Magvel. Resupply, and head west and skim around the coast of Elibe. Eventually, you'll reach either Jugdral or Akanaeia, depending on if you went the right way – if you're at the wrong one, turn around._

_The trip's at least two years long – no wonder everyone thought the planet was flooded, this place is massive._

_Ike_


	28. Correspondance Part Two

Spar 28: Correspondance: Jerk

**  
_Dear Ike,_

_Oh god, you weren't kidding. This is confusing. I think I'm on either this Magvel place or some new island that hasn't even been named yet – or has it? That blue-haired guy called Krom kept going on about Kakusei or something like that…anyway, I found an Illian knight who could deliver this and told me which direction I needed to go in, so I think all's good._

_Mia_

_Dear Mia,_

_It's been five years since you set out, and you're still looking? I thought the original instructions I gave you were quite clear._

_Ike_

_Dear Ike,  
Dropped them into the ocean after Elibe._

_Mia_

_Dear Mia,_

_Why am I not surprised that you would waste an expensive Pegasus knight courier on one sentence? Where are you, anyway, its been several weeks._

_Ike_

Ike's wait for her reply lasted another two years, and he almost decided to give up and keep on moving through Jugdral when the familiar swish of wings was brought to his attention as he walked down the streets of the bustling port city. He looked up to see the familiar blue-haired Pegasus knight he'd met in Akaneia swoop down to meet him.

"Hey, Ike!" She cried, landing in the hastily-created hole in the crowd. Ike nodded in return.  
"Catria. What are you doing back here?"  
"Got another letter from the crazy sword chick for you!" She said cheerfully. "Take it!"  
Ike opened the letter with somewhat indecent haste.

_Dear Boss,_

_Turn around._

_Mia_

Ike did so, and was rewarded with a flying orange-clad fist to the face for his troubles, knocking him off his feet and backwards almost five feet.

"THAT'S FOR NOT TAKING ME WITH YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE, JERK!"


	29. Too Much

Spar Twenty-Nine: All That Can Wait

Summary: Troubles? Please. Forget about them, just for one night.

_A/N: Adult subject matter referenced. You have been advised._

"This is completely impossible." Ike muttered, his legs dangling off the edge of the cliff. Mia walked up and put her hand on his shoulder.

"How come, boss?"  
"It's too much, far too much." He sighed. "I can't do it all at once. I can barely manage the army, look after Mist, keep morale up at the same time, I can't-" He choked up a little.

"You can't love me at the same time." Mia whispered, sitting next to him. Ike shook his head.

"No. I'm sorry, but it's too much. I can't go into battle worrying about you, I can't treat everyone equally while you stand out, I can't-"  
"No, it's fine." Mia whispered, circling her arms around his neck. "There's always later. There'll always be later."  
Ike smirked a little. "Yeah…there is."

Mia's hair brushed his ear, and he shuddered a little at the touch.

"All of that can wait, though." She whispered. "All those little troubles? Forget about them for now…forget about them for just the one night."

Ike turned to face her.

"…all that can wait." He muttered, reaching up to touch her face. She gave him a small smile, tears in her eyes, even as she leaned in to kiss him.


End file.
